Cancer survivors, families, and friends from around the Inland Empire attend annual Celebration of Life
 Ron Kroetz presents Margaret Evers, RN (center), and Michelle Woods, RN (right), with the Courage to Care award in honor of his brother Don, who passed away in 1997. |
More than 500 cancer survivors, family members, and friends put on their best "country duds" for the 11th annual Celebration of Life, held Sunday, June 3, at the University Church of Seventh-day Adventists. The event takes place annually as part of National Cancer Survivors Day to celebrate the 8.9 million cancer survivors in the United States.
Michelle Woods, RN, an LLUMC oncology nurse, served as emcee, and country music artist Kevin Sharpe was the featured speaker at this year's event. In addition to singing several of his songs during the program, Mr. Sharpe shared the story of his own battle with cancer.
The final highlight was presentation of the Courage to Care awards by Ron Kroetz, whose brother Don passed away in 1997 after battling leukemia. Arthur Kroetz, PhD, assistant professor and chair of radiation technology, and Jan Kroetz, RN, MN, nurse manager of the neurosurgery/trauma intermediate care unit, began giving the award to honor exceptional oncology nurses after their son Don's death.
Two nurses were honored this year--Margaret "Margo" Evers, RN, an oncology nurse at the Medical Center and a cancer survivor; and Ms. Woods, a 25-year veteran of oncology nursing.